Manufacture of artificial threads or filaments



W. P. DREAPER.

MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFIClAL THREADS OR FILAMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 15. 1921 11,418, 1 36. v Patented May 30, 1922..

wuawtoz UNHED STATES WILLIAM PORTER DREAPER, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL THREADS OR FILAHEN'IS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1922.

Application filed November 15, 1921. Serial No. 515,378.

To all whom it may cmwer'n Be it known that 1, WILLIAM -Pon'rnn DREAPER, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Manufacturefif Artificial Threads or Filaments, of whichthe following is a specification.

In the manufacture of artificial threads or filaments where the same are formed by precipitation as in the manufacture of the socalled artificial silk, and Where the said threads or filaments are drawn over a revolving draWing-ofi' wheel or odet (hereinafter referred to as a godet and godetwheel) after they leave the precipitating bath, the said wheel being of such a nature that the thread is drawn out of the said precipitating bath by friction and then passes down through a so-called open funnel or guider-tube (hereinafter referred to as a guider and guider-tube) of suitable design which delivers the yarn directly into a centrifugal box Where the strand is collected and spun, certain difiiculties in procedure may be overcome in the following manner By the means now to be described an extension of the ordinary limits of size of the said threads or filaments may be secured and certain other advantages gained at the same time in the process of manufacture.

In the present invention the threads or filaments are formed in the usual manner in a precipitating bath or otherwise, from which they pass over the godet and thendown through an open funnel guider tube into a centrifugal box, and according to the said invention, the threads or filaments as they pass down the said guider are subjected to the action of a constant stream of a suitable solution or liquid this operation being preferably effected by means to be described.

The effect of this continual stream of a solution or liquid down the said guider is to facilitate the progress of the thread down the same and to prevent it sticking to the sides of the same. Also a further part may be played by this stream when it acts chemically or physically on the already formed thread or filaments. The liquid or solution which is passed down the open guider during the whole time of spinning may be of the same nature as the precipitating bath when this is used, or it may differ from the same in strength or nature as this may be desired. For example when water is used, and the thread is subjected at this early stage of manufacture to a continual Washing process 1n the said guider and also in the centrifgual box, since the solution passes down nto the centrifugal box, a distinct advanta e is obtained in certain cases by removing t e surplus of soluble salts from the filaments and so the danger of subsequent crystallizat1on of the salts in the filaments is prevented.

Thus the thread, yarn, or strand is continually subjected to a. further action of a selected solution or liquid, and also the passage of the said thread down the open guider is facilitated during the whole period of production, which may in some cases extend for, say, two hours before the centrifugal box is sufiiciently filled with the twisted and coiled yarn. The effect of this treatment is so to facilitate the spinning operations that a finer thread can be spun and dealt with than can be conveniently operated in the absence of this stream of liquid down the inner side of the guider. More particularly a thread of lesser weight or strength may be operated by such means without physical injury to the individual filaments of which it may e composed, and production may also be conducted at a greater speed. At the same time the thread is speciallv treated with a selected solution or liquid as may be de; sired.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown diagrammatically how the invention may be carried into practice In this drawing, A is the godet or drawing-off wheel which receives the freshlyprecipitated thread or filament B. C is the upper funnel-shaped end of the guider, which has a tubular stem D. The guider C, D is supported on a bracket E which is reciprocated vertically in any suitable known manner so as to distribute the thread or filament issuing from its lower end uniformly over the peripheral wall of the centrifugal box F which is perforated at F and is detachably mounted in a known manner on a vertical driving shaft G and surrounded by a box or shield H which receives the solution or liquid thrown off. This box is provided with a detachable cover H and with a drain J for enabling the solution or other liquid to escape.

To carry out this invention a small glass or other tube K, for instance, may be so attached to the upper funnel or bell-shaped end of the guider that it may dehver a stream" of the selected solution or liquid in the required manner into the said gui der and preferably so that as large a surface as possible of the inner side of the guider is continually washed with the same solution used which then passes down the guider with the thread or yarn and facilitates the progress of the latter as it passes through the guider stem D. By this or equivalent means the thread or filaments are subjected to the action of a constant How of solution in the said guider during the whole period of spinning in an automatic manner, and the process of manufacture is correspondingly facilitated, or even rendered possible in the case of finer threads or filaments than those ordinarily obtained by the centrifugal method of spinning such yarns or filaments. It is also possible when using this method of working to secure satisfactory results where the speed of the centrifugal box F is not in itself sufiicient to draw down by its own effect the thread through the open guider.

The other end of the tube K supplying the stream of liquid to the guider may be attached to a common supply pipe by a flexible tube K, such as a rubber one, in such a wa that the up and down motion of the gulder is not interfered with and also the direction of flow is kept constant.

By preliminary trial, a suitably sized tap to control the actual flow of liquid is also fitted to this branch supply pipe and this is used to control the actual flow of liquid to the guider. Workin with constant pressure of solution a tap i may be selected of such a bore that when fully turned .on it delivers the desired amount of solution to the funnel guider. By'using a two-way tap of suitable design with two thoroughfares of different cross-sectional areas an additional flow of solution may be arranged for when this is temporarily desired, e. g. when the thread or filament is being introduced into the guider tube.

Under certain circumstances an advantage is also secured by arranging the flow of liquid so that it first comes into contact with the descending yarn at a point above the the upper end of the guider but on the guider side of .the godet. the thread is weighted with liquid and as a consequence the first end may then even By this means pass down the said open guider without actual handling. The exact conditions which allow of this can only be determined by trial in the first place. The stream of liquid may even be divided up into two or more jets coming from different directions into the normal path of the descending yarn as it passes down from the godet to the guider, for example from a perforated annular tube as shown in chain lines at M, M. This tube M preferably does not extend entirely around the filament, so as to leave a lateral ga through which the filament can be intro uced when starting the apparacentrifugal box F with the thread and is then thrown off from the same by centrifugal action. It is then collected from the outer box or shield H which always surrounds these boxes and is suitably carried off at J and stored for re-use or special treatment for the recovery of substances contained in the same, as may be desired. Thus the washing action is also automatically extended to the region of the said box and the yarn is also subjected to its action here as well as in the guider. or just above it. As previously explained this ac tign may be physical, or chemical. or both as may be desired.

In special cases this treatment in )thfl guider may be supplemented by a further treatment which immediately precedes the actual drying operation as this is carried out in practice.

This further treatment when resorted to may be given to the yarn when it is in the skein form and prior to the actual drying of the same. It is intended in combination with the previous treatment to protect the filaments still further from damage while they are drying under strain. To effect this further treatment, the yarn preferably in skein form is treated with a solutionof a soap, soluble oil or other substance which will prevent the filaments from sticking together or breaking under the said strain. This process may be followed by a washing process after the skeins are thoroughly dried, if this is' desired.

WVhat I claim is 1. 'A process of spinning precipitated-artificial threads, filaments and the like, consistfso / force exerted thereon. in such receptacle.

2. A process of spinning precipitated artificial threads, filaments and the like, consist-- ing in that the product of precipitation is subjected to the action of a constantly flowing stream of liquid as it is guided along a course and into a receptacle under the action of centrifugal force exerted thereon in such receptacle, the liquid being applied to and guided about the product of precipitation along parts of thecourse.

3. A process'ofsplnm" g precipitated artificial threads, filaments and the'like, consistin in-that the productof precipitation is su jected'to theaction of a constantly flowing streaml'of liquidjwhichhas a helical motion 'aro.und the product of precipitation as the latter is drawn along a course and guided into a receptacle under the action of centrifugalforce exerted thereon in such re.- ceptacle, thevliquid'bei'ng applied and guided to the productof precipitation"obliquely flowing stream of liquid as it is 'guidedinto' areceptacle under the action'of centrifugal force exerted thereon in such receptacle, the liquidbeing applied and guided to and confined in the region of the product of precipitation and the rate of flow of the liquid being temporarily increased when an end of the product of precipitation is being introduced into the said region. I

5. Ina process of spinning precipitated artificial threads, filaments and the like, of the kind wherein the product of precipitationis, fed towards a receptacle from a godet wheel and is drawn and guided through a protected region into such receptacle by centrifugal force exerted thereon in the re.-

ceptacle, the treatment of the product of precipitation: by constantly flowing liquid supplied thereto adjacent to the igodet wheel and at the upper end ofthe protected region.

6.1m aprocess of; spinning precipitated artificial threads, filaments and thelike, of

the kind wherein the product of precipitation is" "fed towards a receptacle from a godet wheel and" is drawn from the godet wheel through a: region xinwhic'h the fila ments 'are protected andinto suchreceptacle by centrifugal force -exerted thereonqin the receptaclg, the ltreatmentfof the fproduct of precipitation by ,ag'coi stantly flowing stream of liquid-supplied: thereto as. it passes from the godet1wheelto the }rec eptacle, and re-. covering]thezgl'iquid"after, passing through 1 artificial thread, whichconsists in draw-mg ea e 7. In a process of spinning precipitated artificial threads, filaments and the like, of the kind wherein the product of precipitation is fed towards a receptacle and is drawn through a protected region into such receptacle by centrifugal force exerted thereon in the receptacle, the treatment of the product of precipitation by a constantly flowing stream of liquid supplied thereto as it passes along its course to the receptacle, the product being then treated with a further liquid.

8. In a process of spinning artificial threads or the like, wherein the filament is passed along a course and is drawn and wound into a receptacle by centrifu al force, the filament being passed throug a protected region at the entrance of which the filament 'is subjected to the influence of a helically moving stream of liquid.

9. Ina. process of spinning artificial threads or the like, wherein the filament is passed alon a course and is subjected to the influence of constantly flowing streams of liquid, the filament being passed through a protected regionthroughout which the filament is subjected to the influence of a stream of helically moving liquid confined to the region of said filament and is drawn into a receptacle and wound over a region therein by centrifugal force.

10; The process of spinning precipitated artificial filaments and the like, consisting in leading the product of precipitation from a source along a course, submitting the same to centrifugal influence, and subjecting the filament to a constantly flowing stream of liquid while passing from said source to the place where said centrifugal influence is brought to bear on the filament.

11. The process of spinning precipitated artificial filaments and the like, consisting in passing the product of precipitation from a source to a region where it is subjected to the influence of centrifugal force, and subjecting the filament in passa e to a constantly flowing stream of liquid.

12. The process of spinning precipitated artificial filaments and the like, consisting in passing the filament from a source of material to a centrifugal influence and submittin said filament in passing to the influence of iquid played on the filament at a plurality of places in its course between the source and centrifugal influence.

- 13. The process of spinning precipitated artificial threads, filaments and the like, consisting inpassing the product of precipitation from a source by rotarily impelling the filament along its course, windin the filament, by centrifugal force and su mitting'the filament in course of passage from the source to the centrifugal winding ina thread from rotary guiding means, sub mitting the filament to a constant stream of liquid, and subjecting the thread to a guid ing and centrifugal force whereby 1t is wound evenly over a limited area.

15. The process of spinning precipitated artificial thread, filaments and the like, which consists in passing a filament along a course from a godet wheel to a receptacle,

and submitting said filament to the action 10 

